CIR Engineering

What is calibration?

cal·i·bra·tion .: the act of checking or adjusting (by comparison with a standard) the accuracy of an instrument.

Simply put, to calibrate a TV means to set it up properly to get the best possible picture. Extensive electronic and mechanical adjustments are made, going well beyond what a lay person would be able to do on their own. If you would like more concrete details on my exact procedures, I encourage you to explore my web page further.

So why do these nice displays benefit from a calibration in the first place? There are two distinct answers to this.

First, the settings needed to make a TV have an appealing image on the showroom floor are completely different from those needed for the same display to look good in your living room. For example, manufacturers intentionally adjust TVs to be overly bright and have too much red. Under fluorescent lights and next to other displays, the miscalibrated picture will stand out and seem better to you. At home, however, the picture just doesn’t look natural: people’s faces appear sunburned due to the excessive reds, for example.

Second, displays require a break-in period, during which the picture changes dramatically. It takes a few hundred viewing hours before the picture “settles in” and remains constant for a long period of time. This actually makes it impossible for manufacturers to properly set these TVs up in the factory, even if they wanted to. No matter what a manufacturer does, there is just no way for them to get it right.

If you have never seen a calibrated high-definition TV, then prepare to be dazzled. With the TLC I provide, you will not be disappointed. Get your high-end TV calibrated, and you won’t believe the difference until you see it for yourself.

If you have already had your TV calibrated in the past, then there is little doubt that you have come to recognize the value of this service. In fact, most people who buy a high-end TV and have it calibrated will choose to have their future display devices calibrated as well.